How to Select a Fantasy Football Kicker

Kickers in the National Football League dominate the top spots in the scoring stats each season. Some kickers score over 140 points in a 16 game schedule. There's no reason all those points from the top kickers shouldn't be going into the scoring column of your fantasy football team. Yet most fantasy owners pick a kicker as an afterthought. Here are some good insights into how to choose your fantasy football kicker.

Instructions

  1. How To Select A Fantasy Football Kicker

    • 1

      Know when to draft a kicker. Most fantasy experts tell you to grab a kicker in the late rounds, but the difference between the elite kickers and the also-rans can amount to as much as 4 points a game. That is a large margin. Don't be afraid or embarrassed to spend a fifth- or sixth-round pick on an elite kicker from a high powered offense, or one from a team that struggles in the red zone and settles for field goals. Kicker points are as important as other position points.

    • 2

      Avoid at all costs the kickers from offensively challenged clubs. Fantasy football leagues nowadays usually allow you to draft a team's kicker, not a specific individual, and you don't want one that is going to get few chances to score. Bad teams with bad quarterbacks are always behind and field goals often are passed up as they try to catch up from large deficits. The kickers from high-scoring teams can score as many as 150 points in a campaign, while the kickers from bad teams post as few as 70 points. That 80 point gap is too much to ignore.

    • 3

      Know that stadiums matter little. There is a line of thinking that says to take kickers that kick in domed stadiums or play their home games in warmer climates, figuring weather will not be a factor in the colder months, but this is not evident in the statistics. The top kickers come from all over the NFL each season, and there seems to be no pattern indicating that weather is a factor in picking a successful one.

    • 4

      Don't beat a dead horse for too long. If you see that your kicker's team is going to be unexpectedly bad, dump that club or kicker and grab another. Injuries to key players, especially quarterbacks, can turn what looks like a good choice of kicker into a bad one in a hurry.

    • 5

      Trade for a kicker. If you are saddled with a low scoring kicker, don't be afraid to trade for one, especially early in the year. Fantasy football teams off to bad starts will jump at the chance to make a deal to shake things up. If you are asking for a kicker in return for a position player, owners will bite in most cases. A reasonable trade would be for you to offer a receiver or back sitting on your bench that has put up some points, but is someone that you can get along without. Be sure to get more than just a kicker in the deal, though; perhaps a lesser receiver or a quarterback that may help down the road during bye weeks.